Here again the interpreter and translator meet many problems, and as a result these verses have been understood in many different ways. Despite these problems, however, there is general agreement about the very clear reference to death in the words man goes to his eternal home. We need to keep this aspect in mind as we deal with the rest of the verse.

Some commentators have concluded that the imagery of old age continues into this verse. After a rather direct saying about fear of heights, the figurative comments on almond blossoms, locusts, and caperberries (see comments below on desire) are interpreted as telling us something about the elderly. Other scholars analyze these same figures as contrasting with old age, showing the vitality of nature against the inevitability of death. Still others see a direct reference to death in each line, with the almond tree symbolizing the dormant season of death, and the grasshopper representing death and destruction (as is common in Joel and many other Old Testament passages). Because of these widely differing interpretations, we again suggest that translators render the text quite literally and leave interpretations to footnotes.

The verse opens with the particle also, showing that there is some link with what goes before. Rather than modifying this clause alone (as seems to be the case in the Revised Standard Version rendering), the particle probably modifies the next series of actions. New Jerusalem Bible marks this change in the discourse, starting a new sequence with “When….” If the translator’s language requires it, this is another good place to repeat the main clause of this very long sentence. Thus we can repeat the imperative “Remember your Creator” at the beginning of this verse: “It is good to remember the Creator, before the time when….”

The phrase they are afraid raises two questions. The first is the identity of the subject they. The second is which Hebrew verb is behind the Revised Standard Version translation afraid; does it come from raʾah “see,” or yareʾ “fear”? Although at least one scholar thinks they points to the birds in verse 4, most agree that the subject is human. We shall follow this view, though we cannot say more precisely who they are. New Revised Standard Version uses the impersonal “one.” On the second question it is probably correct to view the verb in the Hebrew text as are afraid.

Of what is high is literally “of height” or “of a high place.” New English Bible suggests “steep place.” Jerusalem Bible “when to go uphill is an ordeal” can give the impression that effort rather than reaction to being up high is the issue.

For translation of this clause we suggest “they are afraid of heights” or “when a person is afraid of being in a high place.”

And terrors are in the way: we may identify the terrors with the “evil” of verse 1, describing all kinds of dangers. In the way can be a literal reference to the road we walk on (as Good News Translation and New American Bible).

The almond tree blossoms begins a series of three illustrations from nature. Though seemingly straightforward, the translation of this clause presents many problems. First we note that the verb rendered blossoms can also mean “to despise.” This latter meaning seems unlikely, however, as it would lead to a mixed metaphor. The next problem is to determine why this illustration is used. The almond tree differs from other trees in that its blossoms appear in winter; it is also distinctive because its flowers are white. As noted above, some emphasize this time of winter blossoming as symbolic of death. Others such as Good News Translation relate the clause to aging and see a metaphor linking white blossoms and white hair: “your hair will turn white.” Again we suggest that these interpretations be mentioned in a footnote rather than in the body of the text.

However, translating this section literally brings us other difficulties. How should we render almond tree? If almond trees are known to the readers, this is no problem; but if not, we still must determine what to highlight in our translation. We could substitute the name of a tree that blossoms out of season or pick a tree that has white flowers. However, these substitutions may falsely suggest to readers that certain species of trees also existed in the biblical region. So it is probably better to use descriptive phrases such as “the tree blossoms out of season” or “white flowers cover the tree.” Describing the tree as one that bears nuts or fruits called “almonds” is not appropriate in this context, as that is not what is being emphasized here.

The grasshopper drags itself along: this clause poses problems for the translator and the interpreter. Most versions render the subject of the clause as grasshopper, though New Jerusalem Bible and Fox note the possibility that this noun may be read as “squill,” a type of plant that flowers like the almond tree in the preceding line. Another problem lies with the interpretation of the verb rendered as drags itself along. Some versions say the grasshopper “gets fat,” following the Septuagint “the locust’s paunch is swollen.” But the verb root really means “burdens itself,” or possibly “bears its load.” The biggest problem, however, is to determine what the point of the illustration is. Is the grasshopper, dragging itself along, a figure for an old person—possibly overweight—who is no longer able to move quickly? Or is this an image of death, since locusts often occur as symbols of death and destruction in the Old Testament (see Joel 1.4)? Good News Translation takes the first view, going so far as to remove the image altogether: “you will hardly be able to drag yourself along.” However, most versions translate this clause fairly literally, leaving the interpretation to the reader. This follows our basic approach on handling difficult figures in this final poem. If we believe that the theme is death, we may try to make this explicit by saying something like “the destructive locust creeps along.”

And desire fails presents yet another problem. The noun translated desire occurs only this once in the Old Testament, so its meaning is not certain. Its root form suggests “desire,” but an alternative is “the caperberry,” a small fruit that supposedly stimulates the appetite. This rendering is found in some translations (New American Bible, for example). Jewish tradition took the term to refer to sexual desire, so the word is possibly a euphemism for that. Fails indicates that desire is no longer felt. A generalized translation which notes that “all desire has faded,” or “a person has no interest in anything,” does justice to the idea, though we cannot say more than that. The link to old age and death is clear.

Because man goes to his eternal home: this explanatory clause begins with an introductory particle that we can also render “this is because….” Again, the general term man refers to “humanity.” Ongoing action is the sense supplied by the participle holek, so the verb goes speaks of steady advance toward a goal. It forms an inclusion with the first verses of the book, occurring in the references to the comings and goings of generations (1.4) and the cyclical movement of the wind and the streams (1.6, 7). As we have seen elsewhere (3.20; 5.15), this verb is often connected with death also. Here the goal is our eternal home, a euphemism for death or the grave (compare 9.3). With this portion of the verse the theme of death comes clearly into focus.

The translation of eternal home may be a problem in some languages. The expression is literally “his house of eternity” (ʿolam, see comments on this word at 3.11). It is possible that “house” is used to link back to the imagery in verses 3 and 4. In many languages the use of the word “house” will not be appropriate in a discussion of where a person goes at death. We can simply translate “this is because people die,” but this reduces the solemn feeling of the passage. It may be better to render the euphemism by a euphemism, if one is available. “People go to the final place,” “to the place of the dead,” or “where the dead are” are possibilities.

And the mourners go about the streets: the verb go about comes from a root describing circular motion. It forms an inclusion with the first verses in this book as the wind circles and returns to its point of origin (1.6). When applied to mourners, those whose family or friends have just died, it may mean that they are frequently seen. Death is always present in the community, and the frequent sight of funeral processions reminds people of that. Alternatively this verb can refer to the gathering of friends and neighbors that takes place as someone is dying. In some cultures people wait outside the home of the person who is dying, some genuinely concerned for what is happening inside, others (such as professional mourners or other profiteers) waiting for the moment of death so as to profit from a time of weakness. If this latter interpretation holds, we may translate “while mourners circle in the street.”

We can translate this clause as “mourners are often in the streets” or “those who mourn their dead are everywhere.”

In this verse again we see a series of clauses depending on the initial statement in 12.1. If necessary we can again repeat the clause “Remember your Creator” in order to make the long passage easier to understand.

For a translation of the whole verse, we suggest:

• [Yes, remember your Creator] before the time when people are afraid of heights and there are dangers along the way, when the almond tree blossoms,* and the grasshopper creeps slowly along, and all desire has failed. Because people are on their way to the place of the dead, and mourners are already circling about in the streets.

The footnote can say:
*The almond tree blossoms in winter and has white flowers. Some see the link to winter as indicating death, while others see the reference to blossoms as indicating the white hair of the elderly. Grasshoppers are usually associated with death and destruction (Joel 1.4), but others see a reference to the loss of agility in old age.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .